Look, the James Harden era clearly didn’t work out for the Brooklyn Nets.
We don’t need to relitigate why everything fell apart as fast as it did because it’s already over and done with. Harden now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and they will face the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the postseason in the Eastern Conference.
But as the Nets prepare to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament, it’s fairly easy to fantasize about what could have been in Brooklyn and wonder about what went wrong.
We’ll never know what the trio of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving could have accomplished. However, more reported details about the tenure could at least provide some context as to why it blew up.
'Discontent' between Kevin Durant and James Harden began when Harden showed up to training camp out of shape, per @kevinarnovitz
Durant was 'astonished' by his 'lack of explosiveness and sluggish play' pic.twitter.com/FwZ79buYgr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 12, 2022
The latest reporter to add some color to the story is the great Kevin Arnovitz, who added a fascinating wrinkle from Brooklyn’s perspective (via ESPN):
“Sources say that much of the discontent between Harden and the Nets started in September when he arrived into training camp out of shape. Durant had been understanding of Harden’s predicament in Houston as a man in need of new scenery, but also tacitly expected his former teammate to commit himself to conditioning and self-care when he came seeking a title in Brooklyn, according to a source close to both stars. With Irving’s status already in flux due to his unwillingness to get vaccinated, Durant was astonished in the opening weeks of the season at Harden’s lack of explosiveness and sluggish play, something he attributed in large part to Harden’s being out of shape, as he did the ensuing hamstring issues.”
Yikes. Especially if you’re a fan of the Sixers, that’s not great to hear!
There is some merit to criticism about Harden’s lack of explosiveness. During his final full season with the Rockets, Harden shot 55.7% when driving to the basket. That figure fell to just 46.9% this season. Before the trade, per Cleaning The Glass, Harden’s field-goal percentage at the rim ranked in just the 14th percentile among point guards.
According to Arnovitz, Harden and Durant never resolved their conflicts. As the season progressed towards the trade deadline, Harden reportedly became “more isolated” from his teammates.
This will be an interesting storyline to watch in the postseason and then again in the offseason, especially if it plays any role in Harden’s upcoming contract negotiation.
